Metal Detecting

[JEBar]

just wondering how many of our members are interested in metal detecting .... we have a 10+ year old White's DFX metal detector that I enjoy using but somehow don't find time to do so .... we keep it in our camper and have used it at various locations across the country .... I've found a few coins and a nice ring down at the NC shore

[Mistered]

just wondering how many of our members are interested in metal detecting

Been 'swinging one' since I built my first BFO (beat frequency oscillator) based unit in about 1973!
Been through many since then and now have a modern, digital White's unit.
I hunt regularly and spend time researching old townsites, homesteads, historical areas etc.
It's kind of my 'quiet' hobby!

[markiver54]

Have often thought of trying one...never know what you will find.

[Mistered]

Have often thought of trying one...never know what you will find.

Successful metal detecting is a combination of a lot of homework and ensuring you are patient and can spend long periods of time alone.
Sure, you can break out your detector on a public beach or park (if legal) and find some coins and maybe jewelry or other stuff but most of the hunting I do is relatively remote in out of the way areas.
You will dig a lot of trash for the occasional nice find but that is a BIG part of it!
Recently I have started to detect a temporary logging railroad bed not far from where i live. So far about every ten feet or so I get a large 'hit' and dig a spike! I keep bringing them home anyway for possible future projects.
This railbed happens to be near what was a 'temporary' logging town established by a logging company in the early 30's and lasted for several years as a 'company town'
I only discovered it a few years ago when researching some old Forest Service maps and saw it. Being it was pretty close to me I took off and and spent an afternoon trying to locate the site and finally did after a lot of searching but when I did I came across many acres of old junk, cabin foundations and basically just lots of trash.
It would not be an very good area to detect in as the area is littered with old trash, tin cans and other metal garbage.
The residents were mostly vagrant, lumber workers who didn't have much to begin with so there is not really going to be much of anything historically worthwhile.
This is me at an old wood stove that was in one of the cabins at the time.

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Railroad Spikes

[Mags]

I have a 20+ yr old Radio Shack cheapy that gets very little use. Most rewarding use was helping my distraught daughter find a ring lost in the grass. Also used it from time to time to find people's iron staked property corners. A friend of mine used his to find a late 19th century 20 dollar gold piece where the bleachers used to stand in a field that was once a rodeo ground.

[Mistered]

A friend of mine used his to find a late 19th century 20 dollar gold piece where the bleachers used to stand in a field that was once a rodeo ground.

Did he find the Double Eagle in Oregon?!?!
If so this is a VERY RARE find as the typical history of Oregon does not include any particular 'riches' as Oregon has had what is historically a 'hardscrabble' existence by those who ultimately DID choose Oregon as a 'home base' and a large part of this did not take place until the late 1800s through the early 1900s.
Oregon was typically bypassed for the riches of California early on.

[Mags]

.
This was a few years ago. I don't remember that detail. It was a big deal find of a rare $20 gold coin is what I remember.

A friend of mine used his to find a late 19th century 20 dollar gold piece where the bleachers used to stand in a field that was once a rodeo ground.

Did he find the Double Eagle in Oregon?!?!

[Mistered]

I have a 20+ yr old Radio Shack cheapy that gets very little use.

'sarcastically' I am glad to hear this as it keeps metal detecting under the 'radar' for those of us who are 'serious' about it.
Probably about 98 % of metal detectors wind up in a closet or sold.

[Mags]

.
Mine 99.999999% of the time unused. Just another tool in the proverbial tool box in time of need or stirred up curiosity.

I have a 20+ yr old Radio Shack cheapy that gets very little use.

'sarcastically' I am glad to hear this as it keeps metal detecting under the 'radar' for those of us who are 'serious' about it.
Probably about 98 % of metal detectors wind up in a closet or sold.

[Mistered]

Mine 99.999999% of the time unused.

Metal detecting is NOT for everybody.
It takes a combination of an interest in history, the outdoors, and an uncommon 'feeling' of appreciation for those who were 'there' (in the area you are hunting in) and an ability to reminisce on the item you found.
I once found a kitchen woodstove iron plate handle at an old homestead. I could not (and still cannot) get past who might have have it in their hand, and when the last time it was used. Kind of haunting actually.....
On the bottom is the plate handle - the item above it is a hand forged lemon press I found at the same location - very rare as lemons weren't real common in Eastern Oregon in the 'early days'.

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[markiver54]

Can understand that feeling and discovery!

[JEBar]

You will dig a lot of trash for the occasional nice find

that's for sure .... I'm not much of one to go walking just for the sake of walking .... I do thoroughly enjoy swinging a detector and don't mind walking when doing so ....

[Mags]

again, I didn't get one for it's intended purpose. aside from finding my daugther's lost in the grass ring, I've used it to locate linkage parts that came loose from my tractor. Even a bunch of loose nails someone scattered where the intersection of our private gravel road meets the county road.

[markiver54]

again, I didn't get one for it's intended purpose. aside from finding my daugther's lost in the grass ring, I've used it to locate linkage parts that came loose from my tractor. Even a bunch of loose nails someone scattered where the intersection of our private gravel road meets the county road.

Can serve many purposes obviously. Never really thought about it's usefulness finding those things that the " borrowers as the wife calls them, take on occasion.

[JEBar]

there have been times I've thought ours specializes in finding discarded beer can tabs .... haven't seen any on cans for years and yet I've found them all over the country ..

[clovishound]

I always wanted to try an underwater detector when I used to do a lot of river diving, looking for artifacts. I talked to some of the guys that used them, and the consensus was that they actually did better for their time looking, rather than metal detecting. Lots of pop tops, sinkers, odd a assorted bits of metal, very little good stuff.

My buddy has two of them now that I could borrow, but I haven't been in the water for several years. I did drop my regulator off with him to go through the other day, and may try getting back in the water next year. If so, I'll probably try out the detector just for giggles and grins. I always did want to find just a little gold. Not greedy, one coin, one piece of jewelry.

Too bad they won't detect Clovis points!

[brettitt41]

I used to detect quite often. Mostly for relics from the war of Northern aggression. I've found civil war relics from New York all the way down to Vicksburg. After doing some local research and quite a few days searching I found the site of an 1832 indian removal fort which was part of the trail of tears. Its a backyard to a nice couple in a subdivision now for the most part. I donated several of my local finds from a civil war skirmish here in my hometown to the local history center to display. Found a spot where some confederate soldiers captured a Union soldier, I think, as I found knapsack hooks and rivets and various other objects and 6 complete unfired Spencer rounds in about a 5' circle. My thought is they captured him stripped him of his equipment, I found a couple of uniform buttons nearby, and emptied his rifle. I liked finding the uniform buttons. Knowing the last person to touch it was the soldier wearing it so many years ago. My favorite button is from a soldier of the 1st Continental Congress Light Artillery. That's a uniform button from before we were even the United States but were fighting to become them.

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[EasyEd]

Hey All,

I have certainly been thinking about getting one - maybe xp orx or the minelab 800.

My interests are 2/3rds gold 1/3rd other stuff.

I have spent time in gold country in multiple states and have always been interested. I think it may be a great way to spend time outdoors doing something specific and testing some of my likely wacko theories on ancient geology an gold and explore some old homesteads an such. Likely do some target shooting as well.

Maybe I been watching too much Yukon gold, Parker's trail and Aussie gold hunters. My wife says at least I'm not gonna buy bib overalls an start making moonshine.

Good to see others detecting as well.

-Ed-

[BrokenolMarine]

I might buy one down the road. We just bought a new place, be fun to probe around it.

[dasmoeturhead]

I decided to join the ranks, and just ordered a Fisher F4 metal detector. Looking forward to giving it a try.